Inception of a Masterpiece
by ASBusinessMagnet
Summary: Andrew Hussie is thinking about what will become of MSPA after Problem Sleuth. The solution comes through one of the most unexpected places: a 12 year old fan who messages him on a chat client that no one uses. AU, has significant differences from the "real" story.
1. Egbert

_Author's idiotisms: A result of one of the failed ideas on the plot of Calliope and the Final Update v2 (still not the fanfic's actual name)._

* * *

><p>Andrew Hussie was thinking about where he wanted to take MS Paint Adventures from the end of Problem Sleuth.<p>

The day was March 10th, 2009, and Problem Sleuth, a year in the making, was now complete. Since the few fans of Problem Sleuth that were there still wanted to know the characters' fates, he was drawing an epilogue for the stories.

He didn't feel like drawing an epilogue, though. If his most avid fans - those who had stayed with him since the beginning of Jailbreak - wanted more of the same, perhaps it would be better to just continue the ideas of Problem Sleuth in a sequel. Though, the whole idea of a Problem Sleuth 2 seemed problematic (get it) to him. The main three detectives had already done their adventures; to put them in a different set of adventures would be ridiculous, and the story would seem really repetitive.

Another interesting idea came to him from an MSPA side-project, in which, for donations, Hussie would write bonus pages that didn't quite fit into the plot of Problem Sleuth. The donations had already become their own thing, introducing the Midnight Crew, and the story of the Midnight Crew seemed worth expanding. However, the Midnight Crew adventure didn't seem to be that far away from Problem Sleuth. The fourth adventure, if it came to life, needed to be as distant from Problem Sleuth as Problem Sleuth was from Bard Quest, or as Bard Quest was from Jailbreak. It needed to follow an entirely different set of characters.

Hussie had a very clear image. Jailbreak was a story about prisoners. Bard Quest was a story about Middle Ages characters. Problem Sleuth was a story about detectives. The fourth adventure...?

Though, some elements remained common across all three adventures, and hopefully the fourth adventure wouldn't just grow to become its own thing and put the other three to shame. Hell, Problem Sleuth was longer than Jailbreak and Bard Quest combined. To have the spotlight that Problem Sleuth had for now be taken by some fourth story... Hussie didn't even _want_ to write a fourth story, to be honest. The fan adventures that had gathered on the Gangbunch Fora seemed like they were good candidates to replace Problem Sleuth.

While Hussie was in his own thoughts and Photoshop drawing, he was suddenly startled by an application called "Pesterchum". The application itself seemed like a huge mistake in Hussie's eyes, and he kept it on ironically. He didn't even have any friends there.

Without wondering too much, Andrew clicked on the message.

* * *

><p>- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering timelessExpanse [TE] at 3:10 PM -<p>

EB: andrew hussie?  
>EB: is that you?<br>TE: what  
>TE: how did you even find me<br>TE: no one even uses this program  
>EB: through problem sleuth, of course!<br>EB: i liked the story and how it feels like a game.  
>TE: im laughing so much rn<br>TE: just remembered its that one where your nicknames have to be  
>EB: it got confusing pretty quickly, but that's okay.<br>TE: one word lowercase  
>TE: the other uppercase<br>TE: and it makes an abbreviation for you  
>EB: i'll have to figure it out with other people who like the story.<br>TE: and the moods are  
>TE: five smiley faces and one mad face<br>TE: gee which smiley face do i want to be today  
>EB: do you have a link to any discussion forum?<br>TE: guess ill be chummy for now  
>TE: wait wait wait<br>TE: you mean youre NOT from gangbunch fora?  
>EB: no, what's that?<br>TE: basically where i met all my friends  
>TE: and there i submitted ms paint adventures<br>TE: just kidding theyre drawn in photoshop  
>TE: jailbreak then bard quest then problem sleuth<br>TE: but then ps ended up taking over everything  
>TE: heard rumors theyre going to rename the fora to mspa fora<br>TE: because of how much we discuss mspa there  
>TE: theres still an off topic section<br>TE: but its mostly  
>TE: all problem sleuth all the time<br>TE: theyre now discussing what my next mspa is going to be  
>TE: one crazy dude thinks its going to be about kids in the sburbia<br>TE: suburbia  
>TE: thats so funny i cant keep it straight<br>TE: really  
>TE: all my stories were about adults<br>EB: i, for one, would like to see someone like myself in your story.  
>TE: youre in a wrong place then kid<br>TE: how old are you  
>EB: 12.<br>EB: turning 13 this april.  
>TE: yeah youre a kid i want nothing to do with you<br>EB: andrew hussie?  
>TE: yes<br>EB: is that really andrew hussie, the author of problem sleuth?  
>TE: geez yes<br>TE: hey whats your name  
>EB: it's john.<br>EB: john egbert.  
>TE: john egbert nice to meet you<br>TE: but anyway im telling you  
>TE: youre definitely not like most fans of ps<br>TE: and you want to stay away from them as far as possible  
>TE: lest they shit on you or something<br>TE: i swear thats all theyre doing  
>TE: and im like their keeper<br>TE: i SORTA got them to behave w/ ps  
>TE: but give them a month theyll be as vulgar as they were before<br>TE: like horses  
>TE: seriously man<br>TE: you do not understand horses the way i do  
>TE: so majestic and so poetic<br>TE: yet horses still fail at not being animals  
>TE: and not acting like animals<br>TE: and what the artists do  
>TE: is they kind of ignore that part to not corrupt the image of horses<br>EB: horses?  
>EB: andrew hussie, is that really you?<br>TE: yes that is really me  
>TE: andrew hussie creator of problem sleuth<br>TE: if you dont believe me i can prove it to you  
>TE: check my website now<br>TE: if i did everything correctly  
>TE: the first page of problem sleuth should read<br>TE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses  
>EB: hold on...<br>EB: oh my god, it does.  
>EB: i believe you, andrew hussie.<br>TE: no probs john egbert  
>TE: changin it back so no one suspects<br>TE: horses  
>TE: im going to say horses and only horses now so you leave<br>TE: since im working on a ps update and that conversation was weird as hell  
>TE: here goes<br>TE: horses horses horses horses horses horses  
>TE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses<br>EB: uh...  
>TE: horses horses horses horses horses<br>TE: HORSES  
>TE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horsesV horses horses horses<br>TE: horses horses horses horses horses horsesTE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horseshorses horses horses horses horses horsesTE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horseshorses horses horses horses horses horsesTE: horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses horses  
>EB: yeah, i'm going to leave now.<br>TE: . . . . / - - - / . - . / . . . / . / . . .  
>TE: H0R252<br>TE: HoRsEs hOrSeS HoRsEs hOrSeS

- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering timelessExpanse [TE] at 3:41 PM -

TE: horses

* * *

><p>Andrew Hussie shrugged. A 12-year-old who likes Problem Sleuth? Really?<p>

Something finally began to click inside Andrew's mind. If this John Egbert kid really liked the idea of seeing himself in a story, Andrew could write such a story. He could very well write a story, simply taking the suggestions and ideas of fanventures, and make it the length of Problem Sleuth. And once Andrew was done, he would email the story to John, with love. Perhaps Andrew could even invite John over.

Perhaps the story could become the fourth MS Paint Adventure...

No. No. Andrew Hussie was definitely _not_ making that into the fourth MS Paint Adventure. The sudden change from adults to kids would drive a lot of fans out. More of the same was the answer. He would simply gather more ideas and make the Midnight Crew adventure, and publish it.

And yet, Hussie was still intent on trolling this 12 year old kid really hard. As he saved the last finished Problem Sleuth panel, he began drawing a new panel. It showed a nerdy kid - just the type of kid Andrew imagined John to be - and had text above his head: "bluh bluh im john egbert i love problem sleuth".

Again, something else ticked inside Andrew's head. He removed all of the text but "john egbert", so there was simply a guy and his name above him, like in The Sims.

That seemed like a reasonable "next MS Paint Adventure"-style story. Largely mocking the games of those types. Hussie bet someone would manipulate John's room like he was nothing. Throw his computer at his face. Burn down all of his walls. Delete the door, or perhaps block it with the bathtub, so he remains forever stuck at his home.

Stuck at his home.

Home... stuck.

Homestuck.

Andrew Hussie laughed at his own genius, and continued working on the rough storyboard of the newly conceived story.


	2. Firman

_Author's idiotisms: Ever since winning NaNoWriMo things have been looking down on me and I have lost my inspiration, so instead of the seventy-second chapter of Calliope's Update Girl here's the second half to Inception of a Masterpiece (which I have been meaning to write anyway).  
><em>

* * *

><p>[2009-03-10 16:13:14] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> hey so what sorta insane dames did u draw 4 the ps epilogue  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:18] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> not any yet  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:22] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> got pestered by this kid  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:26] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> and i think i have a new comic idea  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:31] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> is it about peein just like jb  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:42] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> no because that would be little monsters and not jb anymore  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:49] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> ok that is the weirdest coincidence  
>[2009-03-10 16:13:56] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> just found an apple juice container in my closet  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:01] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> its like fuckin xmas up in there  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:08] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> alright then but youve been given a heads up  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:13] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> youve seen little monsters right  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:15] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> but  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:20] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> the seal on the container is unbroken  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:29] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> are u supposin some1 pissed in my apple juice in the factory  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:42] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> dont you think monster howie mandel has the power to do something as simple as reseal a bottle  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:45] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> case closed  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:53] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> y did the fat kid or w/e drink the juice anyway  
>[2009-03-10 16:14:59] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> if he knew what piss was like & all  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:04] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> i mean his reaction  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:13] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> twas the 15th day in a row when mandel pissed in his juice  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:19] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> ...  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:24] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> ok i can accept it  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:35] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> monster b list celebrity douchebags keep on bein cunnin pranksters  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:44] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> also if only i could punch out fred savages face  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:53] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> but w/e lets just not go on bout dumb movies for kids  
>[2009-03-10 16:15:55] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> sure  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:00] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> back 2 ur comic idea  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:06] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> its nothing special  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:19] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> some jerk on our fora thought the fourth mspa was gonna be kids in the suburbia  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:25] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> then i brought it up to john  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:31] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> thats what the kids called  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:34] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> john egbert  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:40] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> now thats a complete tool if i ever met 1  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:42] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> and the kid went yay ofc  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:51] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> and i sorta began thinking that its a cool idea  
>[2009-03-10 16:16:58] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> kids on a sims adventure  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:03] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> and what will it be called  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:06] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> homestuck  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:13] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> or maybe sburb in honor of the typo that i made  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:16] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> not sure which  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:22] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> sounds to me like ur fuckin w/ ur fanbase  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:24] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> again  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:29] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> but yeah do w/e floats ur mind  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:35] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> alright then  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:42] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> then ill go back to my dames and stuff  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:45] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> peace out  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:49] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> same 2 u  
>[2009-03-10 16:17:55] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> & gl w/ ps & hs  
>[2009-03-10 16:18:13] <strong>Andrew Hussie:<strong> lets just appreciate the fact that what you just said was a legit sentence  
>[2009-03-10 16:18:17] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> haha yeah  
>[2009-03-10 16:18:26] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> alright imma go 2  
>[2009-03-10 16:18:30] <strong>Michael Firman:<strong> bye


End file.
